IL257478B2

IL257478B2 - Blind element for use in a blind assembly

Info

Publication number: IL257478B2
Application number: IL257478A
Authority: IL
Inventors: Twina Yehezkel
Original assignee: Twina Yehezkel
Priority date: 2018-02-12
Filing date: 2018-02-12
Publication date: 2025-05-01
Also published as: IL257478B1; IL257478A

Description

BLIND ELEMENT FOR USE IN A BLIND ASSEMBLY FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to blinds which are employed for selectably blocking ingress of sunlight.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Various types of blinds are known in the prior art. 1 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention seeks to provide an improved blind.There is thus provided in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention a blind assembly including a plurality of blind elements each having a normally outward-facing surface and a normally inward-facing surface, a plurality of flexible elongate elements engaging the plurality of blind elements, the plurality of flexible elongate elements being displaceable vertically for selectably positioning the plurality of blind elements, the plurality of blind elements each being an elongate element having a generally uniform cross section, the cross section including a normally outward-facing main convex portion extending from a first edge of the blind element, a normally outward-facing secondary convex portion extending from a second edge of the blind element and a normally outward-facing concave portion joining the main convex portion and the secondary convex portion.There is also provided in accordance with another preferred embodiment of the present invention a blind element for use in a blind assembly including a plurality of flexible elongate elements engaging a plurality of blind elements, the plurality of flexible elongate elements being displaceable vertically for selectably positioning the plurality of blind elements, the blind element including an elongate element having a normally outward-facing surface and a normally inward-facing surface and a generally uniform cross section along its length, the cross section including a normally outward- facing main convex portion extending from a first edge of the blind element, a normally outward-facing secondary convex portion extending from a second edge of the blind element and a normally outward-facing concave portion joining the main convex portion and the secondary convex portion.Preferably, the normally outward-facing concave portion is partially defined by a portion of the normally outward-facing main convex portion. Additionally or alternatively, the normally outward-facing concave portion is partially defined by a portion of the normally outward-facing secondary convex portion.In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention the cross section also includes a normally inward-facing main concave portion extending 2 from a first edge of the blind element, a normally inward-facing secondary concave portion extending from a second edge of the blind element and a normally inward- facing convex portion joining the main concave portion and the secondary concave portion. Additionally, the normally inward-facing convex portion is partially defined by a portion of the normally inward-facing main concave portion. Alternatively or additionally, the normally inward-facing convex portion is partially defined by a portion of the normally inward-facing secondary concave portion.In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention at least one of the first and second edges is defined by an elongate folded over portion. In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention both of the first and second edges are defined by corresponding elongate folded over portions.Preferably, the blind element is formed with at least one aperture for receiving one of the flexible elongate vertical elements.In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention pairs of the flexible elongate vertical elements support the blind elements via loops attached to the pairs of the flexible elongate element and govern the relative orientations of the blind elements. 3 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The present invention will be understood and appreciated more fully from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the drawings in which:Figs. 1A and IB are simplified, partially cut away pictorial illustrations of respective normally inward facing and normally outward facing surfaces of a blind element constructed and operative in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention;Fig. 2A is a simplified side view illustration of a prior art blind assembly in a closed orientation and Fig. 2B is a simplified side view illustration of a blind assembly constructed and operative in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, employing blind elements of the type shown in Figs. 1A & IB in a closed orientation;Fig. 3 is a simplified planar side view illustration of the blind assembly as shown in Fig. 2B taken along an arrow III in Fig. 2B; andFigs. 4A, 4B and 4C are simplified pictorial illustrations of the blind assembly of Figs. 2B and 3 in respective fully retracted, partially lowered and fully lowered, closed operative orientations, wherein the orientation of Fig. 4C corresponds to that shown in Figs. 2B and 3. 4 DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Reference is now made to Figs. 1A & IB, which are simplified, partially cut away pictorial illustrations of respective normally inward facing and normally outward facing surfaces of a blind element 100 constructed and operative in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.As seen in Figs. 1A & IB, blind element 100 is an elongate element having a generally uniform cross section. As seen clearly in Fig. IB, the blind element 100 and its cross section include a normally outward-facing main convex portion 110, extending from a first edge 112 of the blind element 100, a normally outward-facing secondary convex portion 120, extending from a second edge 122 of the blind element 100 and a normally outward-facing concave portion 130 joining the main convex portion 110 and the secondary convex portion 120.Preferably, the normally outward-facing concave portion 130 is partially defined by a portion 132 of the normally outward-facing main convex portion 110 and by a portion 134 of the normally outward-facing secondary convex portion 120.As seen clearly in Fig. 1A, the blind element 100 and its cross section also include a normally inward-facing main concave portion 210, extending from first edge 112 of the blind element 100, a normally inward-facing secondary concave portion 220, extending from second edge 122 of the blind element 100 and a normally inward- facing convex portion 230 joining the main concave portion 210 and the secondary concave portion 220.Preferably, the normally inward-facing convex portion 230 is partially defined by a portion 232 of the normally inward-facing main concave portion 210 and by a portion 234 of the normally inward-facing secondary concave portion 220.As seen in Figs. 1A and IB, in the illustrated embodiment, first and second edges 112 and 122 are preferably defined by respective elongate folded over portions 242 and 244.Reference is now made to Fig 2A, which is a simplified side view illustration of a prior art blind assembly, to Fig. 2B, which is a simplified side view illustration of a blind assembly 300 constructed and operative in accordance with a 5 preferred embodiment of the present invention, employing blind elements 100 of the type shown in Figs. 1A & IB, and to Fig. 3, which is a simplified planar side view illustration of the blind assembly as shown in Fig. 2B taken along an arrow III in Fig. 2B. It is appreciated that aside from the structure of the blind elements 100, the remainder of the blind assembly 300 may be identical to that employed in the prior art.Accordingly, it is seen that blind assembly 300 includes at least two central vertical flexible elongate elements 302 (only one of which is seen in Fig. 3), which extend through apertures 304 (only one of which is seen in Fig. 3) in multiple blind elements 100 and are employed for raising and lowering the blind assembly. Blind assembly 300 also includes at least two sets (only one of which is seen in Fig. 3) each of two side vertical elongate elements 306, which are employed for selectable angular orientation of the blade elements with respect to the vertical. The individual blade elements 100 are each supported onto the two side vertical elongate elements 306 by means of a flexible loop 308. Flexible loop 308 of each blade element 100 is attached to each of the two side vertical elongate elements 306.It is a particular feature of the illustrated embodiment of the present invention that use of the blind elements 100 of a preferred embodiment of the present invention, enables the minimum spacing between adjacent blind elements 100 to be substantially reduced, when the blind assembly 300 is in a closed orientation, thereby reducing the amount of exterior light that passes through the blind assembly 300 from the outside thereof to the inside thereof. This is seen with particular clarity by comparing Figs. 2A and 2B, wherein the minimum distance B, between adjacent blind elements 100 shown in Fig. 2B when the blind assembly is in a closed orientation, is seen to be substantially less than the corresponding minimum distance A, between adjacent blind elements of the prior art shown in Fig. 2A when the blind assembly of the prior art is in a closed orientation. Preferably, minimum distance B is approximately - 50% less than minimum distance A. This reduction in the minimum distance between blind elements is the result of the particular shape of the blind elements 100 as described hereinabove in detail.Reference is now made to Figs. 4A, 4B and 4C, which are simplified pictorial illustrations of the blind assembly of Figs. 2B and 3 in respective fully retracted, partially lowered and fully lowered, closed operative orientations, wherein the 6 orientation of Fig. 4C corresponds to that shown in Figs. 2B and 3. It is appreciated that the raising and lowering of the blinds 100 of the blind assembly 300 is effected by corresponding raising and lowering of central vertical flexible elongate elements 3and rotation of the blinds, from an open orientation shown in Fig. 4B to a closed orientation as shown in Fig. 4C, 2B and 3, is effected by relative raising and lowering of two side vertical elongate elements 306.It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited by what has been particularly shown and described hereinabove. Rather the scope of the invention is defined by the elements of the claims which follow and equivalents thereto which would occur to persons skilled in the art upon reading the foregoing and which are not in the prior art. 7

Claims

1. 257478/ CLAIMS 1. An improved blind assembly allowing a reduced amount of exterior light to pass through the blind assembly, the improved blind assembly comprising: a plurality of elongated blind elements vertically and adjacently arranged so that a distance is maintained between adjacent blind elements, each elongated blind element has a normally outward-facing surface, a normally inward-facing surface, and a generally uniform cross section, wherein the cross section comprising: a normally outward-facing main convex portion extending from a first edge of the blind element; a normally outward-facing secondary convex portion extending from a second edge of the blind element; and a normally outward-facing sharp concave portion joining the main convex portion and the secondary convex portion, wherein the main convex portion has a width that is at least 80% of the distance between the first edge and the second edge so that the blind element is flat enough to minimize a distance between the first edge and the second edge of the adjacent blind elements; a plurality of vertical flexible elongated elements engaging said plurality of elongated blind elements, wherein at least two of the vertical flexible elongate elements are employed for raising and lowering the plurality of blind elements and at least two side vertical elongated elements having flexible loops, each engages one of the blind elements for selectable angular orientation, wherein when the blind assembly is fully lowered and the blind elements are in closed orientation, the distance between the first edge and the second edge of adjacent blind elements is minimized due to the sharp concave portion that allows adjoining of the first edge and the second edge of the adjacent blind elements; hence reduces the amount of light passing through the improved blind assembly.

2. The blind assembly according to claim 1, wherein said normally outward-facing concave portion is partially defined by a portion of said normally outward-facing main convex portion. 257478/

3. The blind assembly according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein said normally outward-facing concave portion is partially defined by a portion of said normally outward-facing secondary convex portion.

4. The blind assembly according to any one of claims 1-3, wherein said cross section also comprises: a normally inward-facing main concave portion extending from a first edge of the blind element; a normally inward-facing secondary concave portion extending from a second edge of the blind element; and a normally inward-facing convex portion joining said main concave portion and said secondary concave portion.

5. The blind assembly according to claim 4, wherein said normally inward-facing convex portion is partially defined by a portion of said normally inward facing main concave portion.

6. The blind assembly according to claim 4 or claim 5, wherein said normally inward-facing convex portion is partially defined by a portion of said normally inward-facing secondary concave portion.

7. The blind assembly according to any one of claims 1-6, wherein at least one of said first edge and said second edge is defined by an elongate folded over portion.

8. The blind assembly according to any one of claims 1-6, wherein both of said first edge and said second edge are defined by corresponding elongate folded over portions.

9. The blind assembly according to any one of claims 1-8, wherein said elongated blind element is formed with at least one aperture for receiving one of said plurality of vertical flexible elongate elements.

10. The blind assembly according to any one of claims 1-9, wherein pairs of side vertical flexible elongate elements support said elongated blind elements via loops attached to said pairs of side vertical flexible elongate elements and govern the relative orientations of said elongated blind elements. 257478/

11. The blind assembly according to claim 10, wherein when the orientation of the elongated blind elements is closed, the distance between the pairs of side vertical flexible elongated elements is minimal so that exterior light that passes through the blind assembly is minimal.